Actually the flavor text is rather appropriate considering mana burn was still part of the rules when this card was released. So, unless you had a Little Girl to cast or some other way to use the extra half mana, you would end up losing a half of a life every time you tapped the C of A.

@goblin_camp: It's sorta real. It was printed in the silver-bordered set Unhinged, so it's not legal in any serious tournaments. Silver-bordered sets are all about having fun and pushing the limits of legality.